The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-14
A PERPETUAL MOTION.
A Kentucky Man Has the Nearest Approach
to the Long-Soueht Invention.

A Kentucky Man Ha. the Nearest Approach
to the Long-soueht Invention.
Three wellknown mechanics. Messrs. John E.
Withers George Bailey and George Brunson.
all residents of Henderson, passed through this
city yesterday on their way to Washington City.
and ere their return they may have become very
wealthy men. These men carried with them a
little machine that IS the nearest approach to
perpetual motion of anything that is known TO
science or genius. This machine is q small at
falr and takes up no more space than medium
sized trunk It was securely boxed, and at
tracted no attention whatever; but, nevertheless
one of the three man was constantly by the box
guarding it. This is the way the whole trip is
to be made to Washington Having this ma
chine stolen would amount 10 the end to more
money than was ever stolen at one time In this
country.
The box contained an invention that will
prove of interest to all intelligent people and de-
serves more than ordinary mention With this
fact in view. the Journal has gone to consider
able trouble to get the facts in the case
Such a thing perpetual motion has always
been regarded utter impossibility, expert
ments having been made thousands of times.
only to fail in the end, and it has gotten to such
a stage that when a man claims to have made a
new discovery in this regard. he is at once looked
upon a fool or crank. and is always made the
butt of ridicule in his eighborhood.
This invention is not the product of few
months thought, but the result of generation
and half of study and experiments. Zachariah
Schwartz, a practical Ohio mechanic, who con-
eeived the idea of inventing experimentation
machine He was then quite young man, and
became SO thoroughly convinced of the ultimate
success of the scheme that he made it life
study. He spent a large part of his earnings in
experimenting. but never succeeded in perfecting
his pr rect Close application and hard study
for so many years undermined Schwartz's
stitution. and when he found that he had not
long to live, he went to each emf loye in his
shop and offered the products of his lifes
study on this perplexng question, but in each
instance he W lauphed and called a crank
until he came to Mr. John E. Withers, one of
the men now en- route to Washington, and laid
the before him. Withers young man
OF an inventive turn of mind, and took kindly
to his employers scheme, and gave a solemn
promise to make it a life study but whether or
mot he has reached success, from what the
Journal reporter learned Yesterday, Mr.. Withers
has certainly made an effort to keep that prom
Use. Withers, now a man probably fifty years
of age. has devoted many years to the study of
this subject, and reached all but one point about
three years ago. He gets his motion and power
by compressed air. and this was the point he had
yet to overcome This point was reached dur
ing the construction of the railroad bridge over
the Ohio at Henderson, and Mr.. Withers
cured employment on this bridge, working in
one of the caissons for several months He did
this IN order to study the uses and power of
compressed air. This genius then went to work
again upon his machinery.
About six months ago Withers concluded a
model and made test of his invention, and
found that he had partly reached the most i'm
portant discovery of the age The test was
csedipgly hattering but there was much TO add
to complete the machine. The continuous mo-
ton had been reached, but it entirely too
fast to be practicable. He sent this model to
Washington City, and secured patent on it,
and then went to work to find financial
partner This he found to be exceedingly hard
to do but at last he interested Mr.. George Baly,
coal dealer of Henderson, who, becoming in
terested In the invention, agreed to furnish the
capital to carry further experiments. The
aid of Mr. John Bronson, 3 car builder also
secured, and these three men decided to go into
the scheme, and if a success was made of the in
vention they would stand equal partners and
share profits alike.
The holdings for an engine cast in a
couple of foundries in this CITY, after which they
were taken to Henderson. An old brick building
on Green street, between Fourth and Fifth, was
secured. and in this building the final expert
ment made. For the last three weeks
Messrs Withers and Bronson have worked ate
and slept in this place. which securely
closed to the outside world, Mr.. Baily being the
only person admitted. About ten days ago the
mechanics found that every thing had about been
perfected, they having gotten the machine
thoroughly under control that the speed could be
regulated.
The success of the invention lies in the control
of compressed air, which is the only thing
needed to produce power. The inventor con-
structed engine that was attached to a fif-
teen gallon boiler, and found that he could
reach a steady pressure of 225 pounds. Three
revolutions of the wheel produced enough
power to blow q whistle attached that could be
heard squares away. and ten revolutions pro-
duced enough power to constatly run the engine
The engine is started and stopped by means of
lever or screw-wheel. the same as any ordinary
engine. The inventor claims that as q final
test before starting to Washington, tie engine
started and run several days an even
motion.
During the past few months q number Of cap
italists have become interested in the success of
this invention and as it neared completion the
interested parties claim a syndicate offered the
inventor and his partners So. 000 900 and roy
atty on every engine sold for the sole right of the
United States provided the invention is proven
a complete success.
The inventor says the engine will be manu-
featured in different sizes, and can be attached
to any boiler, and also alleges that it can be ap-
piled with equal success to railroad locomotives
As soon another patent is secured this
invention a larger engine is to be constructed
and final test made by applying the power to
running large cotton mill in the East.
The inventor claims that when started his en-
gne will run as long the machinery lasts,
which would be many years, and that this is
near perpetual motion as it will be possible to al
tain.